Business Commons^™

Credentialing Exam Hesitancy In Dietary Management Certificate Program Graduates: A First Look At Perceived Barriers, Sona Donayan

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Certified dietary managers (CDMs) lead their food services team by ensuring food quality, safety, and palatability while applying nutrition principles to food purchasing, storage, preparation, and service. Despite labor shortages and forecasted growth in both healthcare and food services management jobs, approximately 30% of credentialing exam candidates forego their exam within the first year after completing a didactic career technical education program approved by the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals. Moreover, very few return to pursue their exam after the first year. This study explored, through the lens of the theory of planned behavior, the perceived obstacles contributing to …

A Hierarchical Decision Model For Evaluating The Strategy Readiness Of Quantitative Machine Learning/Data Science-Driven Investment Strategies, Mohammadsaleh Saadatmand

Dissertations and Theses

Big data and computational technologies are increasingly important worldwide in asset and investment management. Many investment management firms are adopting these data science methods and technologies to improve performance across all investment processes. Researchers actively use these methods to develop more effective systematic investment strategies and produce more reliable outcomes less vulnerable to human decision-making biases. However, the success of such a strategy depends heavily on the scientific rigor applied throughout the process. "Best practices involve understanding how to make better decisions in the research design process. A good question is whether we can make better decisions in developing quantitative …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald: Ways Of The Future, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period April 8 - May 5, 2024.

• Anderson, Alexandria. Letter from the Editor – Science, Technology & Business
• Anderson, Alexandria. Women in STEM Make Advances
• Novoselia, Mariia. Turnover on Fountain Square: Local Businesses Share Concerns & Success Stories
• SOKY Rentals Offers New Apartments
• Walk2Campus: Where Home Meets Community
• Bush, Camden. Can a Baseball Team Reduce Their Goals to a Math Problem?
• Hawkins, Kaylee. Student Business Owners Share Experiences – Gatara Townsend, Andrew Garrett, Brittiny Sadler
• Ivory, Larkin. Bikewalk BG, WKU CHHS Offer Chances for Healthy Lifestyle – Health & Human Services

Navigating Towards Sustainability: Tackling Eu Transportation Carbon Emissions, Michael Andre Barajas

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Mobility plays an essential role in our daily lives, yet the consequences of transportation are often overlooked or misunderstood. Most people take transportation for granted, not considering the opportunity cost of our easy accessibility, namely carbon emissions. These emissions cause significant environmental damage, threatening the ability of future generations to enjoy what we have now unless we reduce and stop them.

The European Union has been a leader in sustainability over the past decade, expressing concerns about carbon emissions and exploring various ways to address the issue. To understand the EU's future plans, it is crucial to grasp the scale …

Building A Business: A Close-Knit Relationship Between Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Gabrielle O. Ysteboe

Honors Capstones

This project explores how best to build a knit blanket business with respect to several parameters including market research to determine price point, where to sell the product, with options including Etsy, brick and mortar, larger retail stores, personal website, craft fairs, and pop-up retail locations, and determining the target market and demographics, which will shape the marketing strategy to be used. It shows the ties between the 4 P's of marketing and entrepreneurship. Through surveys and primary research, data was found that allowed for one option for business placement to come out on top. It also allowed for the …

Cloud Server's Impact: The Environment And Supply Chain, Jeremy Silvis

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

In our data-driven society, the exponential growth of data generation presents both opportunities and challenges. Each day, 328.77 million terabytes of data are produced, necessitating vast storage solutions. Traditional data storage methods, such as HDDs and SSDs, have given way to the revolutionary Cloud, which offers scalable and accessible storage options. However, the environmental impact of Cloud servers, characterized by significant energy and water consumption, raises concerns. This chapter examines the evolution of data storage, the environmental ramifications of Cloud servers, and the sustainability efforts of Cloud companies. The chapter also explores the transformative effects of the Cloud on global …

Effect Of Stakeholder Capitalism After The 2019 Business Roundtable Pledge, Maximiliano Villarreal-Castro

Honors Theses

There has been a shift towards a new model of corporate operation, one which prioritizes not only the company shareholders but anyone affected by its operations, i.e., stakeholders. Although many believe this is a path towards a more equitable future, others fear it could cause agency issues. As a result, companies that focus on ESG/Stakeholder Capitalism may experience the adverse effects of slow growth, costing shareholders, employers, and employees in the long term.

To determine if there was an impact from 'The Shift' to an ESG model by the major corporations, this study compared internal (accounting) and external (market) data. …

Rivian Automotive Strategic Audit, Bruno Salles

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of Rivian Automotive, a pioneering electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, focusing on its background, performance, challenges, and future outlook. Founded in 2009 by Robert "RJ" Scaringe, Rivian embarked on a mission to revolutionize the automotive industry with its innovative EV offerings, driven by a commitment to performance, utility, and sustainability. The company's journey from inception to its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2021 and subsequent challenges amid the global semiconductor chip shortage and market dynamics are examined. A detailed PESTEL analysis evaluates the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors influencing Rivian's operations and …

Data Analysis Project For Preferred Credit Inc., Emily Smith, Greta Nesbit, Jack Simonet, Ignacio Sanchez-Romero

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This project focuses on transforming real data within PCI's operations into valuable insights through an approach of coding, data cleaning, and visualization. By leveraging advanced techniques, the project aims to uncover key trends and create visually compelling representations to aid decision-making within the company. The outcome will allow PCI stakeholders the ability to extract valuable insights, optimize processes, and drive initiatives for growth and competitive advantage in the finance industry.

The Hope Venture: Strategic Audit, Bradley Sullivan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Hope Venture is an international nonprofit headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their work is comprised of education and health projects targeted at individuals living in extreme poverty. Currently, most of their projects are located in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. A PESTEL analysis was performed to assess the external environment in which they operate, while a Porter’s 5 Forces analysis explained industry dynamics. Their competitive advantages, such as their unique 100% model, are explored, while key challenges regarding scalability are discussed. In the end, recommendations are given to overcome potential threats and to continue to sustain a competitive advantage in the …

Effect Of Stakeholder Capitalism After The 2019 Business Roundtable Pledge, Maximiliano Villarreal-Castro

Poster Presentations

There has been a shift towards a new model of corporate operation, one which prioritizes not only the company shareholders but anyone affected by its operations, i.e., stakeholders. Although many believe this is a path towards a more equitable future, others fear it could cause agency issues. As a result, companies that focus on ESG/Stakeholder Capitalism may experience the adverse effects of slow growth, costing shareholders, employers, and employees in the long term.

To determine if there was an impact from 'The Shift' to an ESG model by the major corporations, this study compared internal (accounting) and external (market) data. …

Refueling The Accounting Pipeline, Crystal Y. Wong

Honors Capstones

Recently, the number of college students majoring in accounting has significantly decreased, creating an accounting pipeline issue and resulting in fewer new accountants entering the industry. This presents a talent shortage while the demand for accountants remains high. The objective of this research study is to identify the potential methods that can be implemented to attract more students to major in accountancy and to contribute insights that may be useful in solving the accounting pipeline issue. Using an anonymous survey distributed to current students in Northern Illinois University’s (NIU) College of Business, I gathered data about factors that influence students’ …

Beyond Amateurism: Examining The Potential Labor Expenses Of Ncaa Student-Athlete Employment, Alayna K. Falak

Honors Thesis

In light of recent administrative developments urging the classification of student-athletes as employees, litigation challenging the current status of student-athletes, and the Supreme Court’s willingness to tackle National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) issues, many questions surrounding the future of college sports under an employment model have emerged. The authors analyzed key litigation, recent developments from administrative agencies, and academic literature. Then publicly available data was used from the NCAA, the United States Department of Labor (DOL), and other sources to construct two estimates of what it would cost the NCAA member institutions to treat their Division I athletes as employees. …

Workplace Transformation: Exploring The Impact Of Digital Nomad-Inspired Travel Experiences, Ekaterina Chevtaeva

All Works

This short research paper explores the experiences and transformations of employed remote workers who engage in remote work trips, a type of digital nomad-inspired travel where individuals combine work and leisure while traveling. The study aims to understand the meaning of these experiences and their impact on participants’ work practices. The methodology employed in this study is Heidegger's hermeneutical phenomenology, which focuses on subjective interpretations of experiences. Data was collected between 2022 and 2023 through prolonged engagement with seven participants who have work flexibility but do not identify as digital nomads. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to empathize with the participants’ …

A Financial Valuation Of Comcast (Cmcsa), Lucas Marcinkowski

Honors Thesis

The current valuation of the global entertainment and media industry revenue is $2.32 trillion. When investing in the entertainment and media industry, individuals think of the fame and glamorous side of the entertainment industry. However, the industry is fiercely competitive and continuously evolving. Through examining the historical financial statement of the publicly traded media and technology conglomerate Comcast, as well as its competitors, I forecasted the future financial valuation of Comcast utilizing the Discounted Free Cash Flow and Public Comparable Firm Multiples models. This analysis examines the effects of the pandemic and other economic conditions on the entertainment and media …

Mental Health Among Collegiate Athletes, Stella Elise Fairbanks

Honors Thesis

Mental health has become increasingly more linked with athletics, especially collegiate athletics. There has been an increase in public acknowledgment of the presence of mental health in sports, specifically, more athletes are speaking about their mental health struggles as well as more research is being conducted in order to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between mental health and athletics. This literature review discusses athletes’ personal experiences of their mental health struggles, the presence of stigma associated with mental health and athletics, and the results of the recent NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, research. This thesis aims to uncover …

Understanding The Accounting Of Agilysys' Current Business Model And Other Economic Activities, Brick Gore

Honors Theses

Agilysys operates out of the hospitality software industry and has seen a recent incline in volume due to the convenience and advancements of technology. They point of sale systems make it simple to conduct transactions; therefore, while the hospitality companies were negatively impacted during Covid-19, they were still able to sustain. Agilysys is posed a threat from operational risks, such as global climate change and rising interest rates as their products are many times located in luxurious environments; however, their current business model allows them to reduce this risk. From an auditor’s perspective, there are riskier accounts, and without a …

Does Rural Transformation Affect Rural Income Inequality? Insights From Cross-District Panel Data Analysis In Bangladesh, Al Amin Al Abbasi, Subrata Saha, Ismat Ara Begum, Maria Fay Rola-Rubzen, Andrew M. Mckensie, Mohammad Janghir Alam

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rural transformation plays a crucial role in enhancing the income and employment prospects of the rural labor force. We investigate the effects of rural transformation on rural income inequality at the district level in Bangladesh using data from five years of nationally representative Household Income and Expenditure Surveys. The Gini coefficient is used to measure rural income inequality. In contrast, the share of high-value agricultural outputs and the share of rural non-farm employment are used as indicators of rural transformation. We find that rural income inequality is positively associated with the share of high-value agricultural outputs and the share …

Mass Tourism Management In Sintra World Heritage Site: The Role Of Tourist Guides, Luis Miguel Brito, Ilidia Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Information is power. Tourist guides hold this power as information givers, representatives of the tourists in the sites they visit and vice versa, and they can also persuade the tourists to do what is more convenient in each situation, thus contributing to sustainability through their interpretation. Arguably, in a situation of mass tourism, they can be very helpful. Mass tourism is viewed negatively by various intellectual currents and some critics in the field. It is usually associated with a lack of interest in culture, and it is understood as harmful to nature. It is in opposition to alternative, responsible, and …

Manque De Réussite : Le Préjudice Dans Le Football Français, Will Bedell

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

Despite being called The Beautiful Game, soccer in France has a few issues that take away from its beauty. This presentation aims to identify the causes and reasons behind the issues of racism, homophobia, and sexism which plague the French soccer scene. By looking at the causes of these from within French culture, history, and their society we can hope to understand why they exist as well as to establish the sources from which these issues arise.

Identifying High-Value Tactical Livestock Decisions On A Mixed Enterprise Farm In A Variable Environment, Michael Young, John Young, Ross S. Kingwell, Philip E. Vercoe

Animal production and livestock research articles

Context

Australia is renowned for its climate variation, featuring years with drought and years with floods, which result in significant production and profit variability. Accordingly, to maximise profitability, dryland farming systems need to be dynamically managed in response to unfolding weather conditions.

Aims

The aim of this study is to identify and quantify optimal tactical livestock management for different weather-years.

Methods

This study employed a whole-farm optimisation model to analyse a representative mixed enterprise farm located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Using this model, we investigated the economic significance of five key livestock management tactics. These included …

A Spatial Decision Support System For Rent Estimation Of Retail Spaces In Manhattan Using Geographically Weighted Regression And Spatial Regression, Andie M. Migden Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This report outlines an automated, three-phase Spatial Decision Support System that creates models to estimate rent of retail spaces across Manhattan. First, enrich data with predictors. Second, optimize spatially aware neighborhood-level models by combining GWR, spatial regression, and non-spatial regression. Finally, visualize results in an Esri-based WebApp.

The Oncology Etf: How Retail Traders Can Utilize Custom Growth Etf’S, Samuel Sprute

Honors Thesis

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are potent investment vehicles to generate returns from systematic gains in any market. However, they have historically been products created and distributed by large financial institutions. Due to various drawbacks of institutionally available ETFs, many retail traders have begun to create their own custom ETFs. These custom ETFs operate as mini-portfolios and have significant potential to generate alpha, or positive risk-adjusted return, when positioned specifically in growth markets.

In this work I aim to show the potential for custom ETFs in retail trading. In achieving this goal, I have broken this work into two sections. The …

Women's Evening Wear Clothing Line, Monique Greene

Theses

Unavailable.

From Cypherpunks To Congress: A Historical Analysis Of The Development, Uses, And Regulatory Landscape Of Cryptocurrencies, Andrew Moore

Honors Theses

As cryptocurrencies have begun to proliferate through the economy policymakers are asking questions of where they came from, how do they work, what they are used for and how should we regulate the market. Through a historical analysis, it can be seen that Bitcoin represented a legitimate innovation in money and provided significant improvements to earlier attempts at private commodity currency. Additionally, many of the criticisms lobbied against Bitcoin appear to be overstated, most notably the claim that it is a good tool for criminals. However, there has been a notable split in the market. The emerging crypto industry bears …

The Emergence Of Approachable Luxury In The Grocery Industry, Joseph Curcio

Honors Theses

This thesis examines various trends in the grocery industry that have led to the new age grocer. These trends are centered around the emergence of approachable luxury products on grocery shelves and new grocery stores centered around an approachable luxury approach. Due to the subjective nature of the term “luxury,” it is hard to define, but multiple academic definitions from the Journal of Business Research are analyzed.

The timeline of the luxury grocery is outlined – beginning with traditional Iberian shops to the emergence of the new curated grocer to the revitalization of big box stores. The thesis includes psychological …

Nelnet, Inc. Strategic Audit, Jeanette Glover

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Nelnet, Inc. is a. As of 2024, Nelnet as a United States-based conglomerate operates through five divisions including: Nelnet Diversified Solutions, Nelnet Business Services, Nelnet Financial Services, Nelnet Communications Services, and Nelnet Energy Services. Under the Nelnet Diversified Solutions umbrella are: Nelnet Consumer Services, Nelnet Technology Services, Nelnet Business Process Outsourcing, Nelnet Renewable Energy, Nelnet Government Services, ScholarNet, and Nelnet Federal Loan Services. This strategic audit report will mainly focus on Nelnet’s strategy primarily through the business segments of Nelnet Financial Services and Nelnet Diversified Solutions’ service business Nelnet Federal Loan Services within the student loan industry to analyze its …

Displaying Success: Lindenwood Hosts Annual Student Academic Showcase, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Income Taxation Of Corporations In The United States, Thomas Koshewa

Undergraduate Theses

Taxes affect everyone. Public infrastructure, education, healthcare, social security, public safety, and national defense are just some of the services provided for U.S. Citizens and residents through tax revenue. As taxes pay for these services, it is often a topic of discussion in the media. Though there are varying opinions about taxes and our tax system, there is one quote from Benjamin Franklin that everyone can agree upon: “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

While Franklin’s statement about death and taxes …

Essays On Judgment And Decision Making, Chengyao Sun

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I describe two programs of research to demonstrate how logically irrelevant factors can influence everyday judgment and decisions. Chapter 1 looks at a common human behavior: prediction. In collaboration with Robyn LeBoeuf, we investigate a particular factor that may bias people’s predictions against their own judgment: the absolute likelihood of the most likely outcome. Previous research usually assumes that, when making a prediction from a set of possible outcomes, people select as their prediction the outcome that seems most likely to them. However, we find a disconnect between what people predict and what they believe to be …